Fumel has been associated with steel-making since the C15th, but it was in 1847 that the site by the Lot was developed and the industry became highly significant. Near Fumel there were open-cast mines for the iron ore and the river itself provided hydraulic power through the construction of a dam.

During the 1914-1918 war, the factory grew and entered into the manufacture of shells.

At the end of the wars, the factory will specialize in the manufacture of pipes, cast iron plates and valves as well as many parts for the automobile sector. The site employed up to more than 3,500 people but following poor decision-making in the 1970s and 1980s a major product – cast iron pipes – was relocated to Spain. Further setbacks occurred culminating in the loss of Caterpillar parts production and bankruptcy in 2013. A subsequent management buy-out failed in 2018.

Of note, steelwork in Paris’s Pompidou Centre came from Fumel.